An RTD bus and a U.S. Postal Service truck covered in political messages about health care reform and unions enraged some visitors at Monday's Labor Day Parade in Louisville. A Postal Service spokesman said the signs were inappropriate, and that the incident is being investigated. ( (Photo courtesy of Larkin Hosmer))

The Regional Transportation District is investigating complaints about an RTD bus plastered with political posters that was part of Louisville's Labor Day Parade, while the U.S. Postal service determined that a mail truck covered with similar posters was a mistake.

The two vehicles, driven by postal service and RTD employees, bore posters that read “health care can't wait” and “no more business as usual.” Both also had banners supporting the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations — a national trade union center — and the Employee Free Choice Act, a bill that would create a new system for organizing unions.

Al DeSarro, a regional spokesman for the U.S. Postal Service, said the political poster display was a misunderstanding.

“It's against our policy to have any type of political messaging,” he said. “We apologize that this happened, and hopefully it won't happen again.”

He said the employee driving the truck saw other vehicles with similar signs at the parade and didn't realize it wasn't allowed by the U.S. Postal Service, which is self-funded. He said the employee will be “counseled” about the infraction.

“We do think the employee's intentions were innocent,” he said.

He said it's never OK to have political messages attached to government property and the responsible person from the post office would be “counseled” about the apparent infraction.

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RTD spokesman Scott Reed said members of the Amalgamated Transit Union, which represents RTD bus drivers, mechanics and other employees, have been allowed to drive a bus in the parade for several years.

But, he said, it's “not appropriate” for the bus to display political signs.

“RTD management has been in contact with union leadership,” he said. “We are looking into this.”

Louisville's Ted Hine, who said he was offended by the political posters on the bus and mail truck because they implied that those two government organizations support ‘ObamaCare,' complained to U.S. Rep. Jared Polis at the parade.

“I find it not terribly plausible that two of them from two entirely different public entities didn't know that what they were doing was wrong,” he said. Lara Cottingham, a spokeswoman for Polis, said the congressman didn't see the posters himself and suggested that Hine contact RTD. She said Polis also contacted the U.S. Postal Service about the issue.

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